THING # 18 - Social Networking

I'm probably going to get in trouble for this post.
We have been required to join so many sites in this course that my email account is getting clogged with a bunch of junk I don't want. After the course is over I'm going to have to do a thorough housecleaning - deleting all these sites that I will never use.
I am not going to join Facebook or Twitter. I do not have time for social networking and I don't want my name - or even a screen name linked to my account - out there for anyone to access. I know they are supposed to be secure, but there have been numerous instances of these networks being hacked and personal contact information being sold to the highest bidder. I have been hacked before and I'm not risking it again.
I don't see any educational value to social networking. It is an activity for those people who have too much time on their hands. Twitter advertises itself as a means of telling everyone you know "What you are doing right now." I'm sorry, but "At the coffee shop drinking latte" is not information that I need to share with the world. I can't think of anyone I would want to share it with. We have cell phones, email accounts, text messaging - all means of keeping in touch with those who need to know. Anyone who needs to let 200 people know that they are drinking coffee has other problems to deal with.
I don't think I have to remind anyone of the problems teachers have had with their facebook content getting out on the web. The easiest way to stay safe is to not be out there to begin with.
I like to think of myself as technology savvy, current and up-to-date, and connected to those around me. But I don't need Facebook or Twitter to enable me to stay in touch with those I love.
I may fail this exercise, but the requirements for joining sites have gotten out of hand. There are other ways of learning about the world of technology than having join every site out there.
I am much too busy for that!!!